7 Ways To Make Your Signage Stand Out From The Rest

Photo by Pea on Unsplash

July 9th, 2021  · Taye Harding

It’s officially spring which means time for fresh beginnings – perhaps it’s time to give your company’s signage a serious assessment and consider an remodel.  

Maybe you’ve been duplicating your company’s same old signage year after year – just editing the sales dates and current year. Or you’ve been adding your new messaging to the signs, but the colors, font, layout, and sign dimensions have remained stuck in “sign limbo” for the past decade.  

When you begin taking into account what you might want to change about your signage for 2021, there’s a multitude of ways to have your sign and slogan truly stand out. Take a look at the Minoh list of 7 ways to impress your current and future customers, and see if you would like to integrate anything into your future signage:

Add vibrant color(s) in your design

Don’t hesitate to incorporate bright, vibrant colors in your sign’s design. Bright hues tend to draw the eye’s attention quicker than bland colors. Of course, basic rules of color still apply here: Avoid colors that might clash with the standard color of your brand or logo; and try not to use too many colors in one single sign – remember, you’re designing a sign, not an abstract art piece.

Incorporate custom shapes

There’s nothing wrong with rectangles or squares. But consider how a different shape – like a diamond, a circle, or another custom shape – will truly help your sign make a statement. And being honest, things that are “different” often get more attention. You want to be sure that your message fits inside of your custom shape without compromising the size of your typeface or any images you’re using. In the same breath, you don’t want a custom shape to be too distracting from the message itself. 

Get Big

Unfortunately, there’s no concrete size-to-attention formula, but it’s safe to say that size is another imperative factor when it comes to increasing the amount of eyes on your sign. By just slightly increasing the dimensions of your sign, you can get quite a bit more space, whether it's for your message or logo. For example, if you choose to move up from a 24” x 12” sign to a 36” x 18,” sign you’re more than doubling your available message space (648 square inches vs. 288 square inches) – that’s a lot of additional room for you to play with.

Use interesting and unique images

If you have been using the same image or graphic in your signage for several years, it’s good to consider changing it up and giving yourself a new look, even if it’s just temporary. Don’t be afraid to incorporate images that are visually striking or make a likely customer stop in their tracks. Something else to think about when it comes to images: There’s nothing worse than having made a sign with a carefully crafted message, having it printed and installed, just to see another business using the same image (and it’s even worse if that image appears on your competitor’s signage!). You can avoid this by regularly looking out for your competitor’s signage, to see what they're doing differently. Lastly, remember that you should only ever use images you have the rights to use or that you’ve created yourself.

Go B&W, monotone, etc.

Yes, as stated above, colorful signage is often preferred but you can also do the complete opposite to have your message stand out. A black and white or monotone colourway is something you may want to pursue occasionally/rarely, but this can provide your signage with some serious impact. Going this route can be particularly attention grabbing if you tie in fine-art or historical images.

Make it mobile

If your business has a company vehicle whether it be a car, truck, or van and it’s not displaying your brand or the company’s logo on it, then you’re missing out on a huge marketing method. The average vehicle, if travelled around 15,000 miles per year, will pass in front of approx. 9 million other vehicles. That’s a lot of eyes on your brand which can bring in potential customers. It’s also good to keep in mind that you can typically reuse a design you’ve created for a vinyl sticker, hanging sign or window and slightly modify parts of it when designing a vehicle decal.

Add a splash to your small format marketing

This tip mostly applies to informational materials such as business cards, flyers, etc. You can add a gloss finish or laminate for a slick, professional look, or choose a matte finish for a soft appearance. And in many cases you can hand select specific areas you want to add that gloss or matte texture. Larger signage can also use certain textures to good effect. Regardless of the size of your sign or promotional display, an attention grabbing texture or finish can enhance its curb appeal.